Well, despite fears of terrorist attacks the Cannes film Festival this year passed off largely without incident other than the usual tantrums, bitchiness and pretension that is the hallmark of the film world. It seems that the problem with the festival is that everybody in the film world gets together for two weeks and indulges in the collective delusion that they are the most important people on the planet. Given that film is all about illusion there’s a certain justice in them falling for that fallacy. Actually Cannes does quite well out of it. If the 46,000 visitors who turn up spend on average a thousand euros (and some of the hotels charge that a night) it is, as they say, a ‘nice little earner’.

How to get your shot of a celebrity: these ladders face the red carpet.

and here is that famous carpet: who are they waiting for?

Just popping in on a Sunday morning to go to church and leaving pretty soon afterwards helps us to think that we keep the illusion at a distance. Mind you we never seem to see any real stars although there are obviously lots of people who would like to be mistaken for celebrities.

Celebrity watching (or should that be waiting for…?) outside one of the hotels

Last Sunday we were particularly grounded in reality because number two son, wife and grandson were with us. And there’s nothing like a 2-year-old for putting things into perspective. All he wanted to do was go to the beach after church, play with the sand and then get an ice cream. There’s a lot to be said for that point of view.